THE AFRICAN WILDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19417, 27 August 1926, Page 13

THE AFRICAN WILDS.

| A REMARKABLE JOURNEY. | SWEDISH EXPLORER'S TOUR. EXPERIENCES IN SAHARA. The Swedish sportsman and explorer, Lieutenant Ciosta Moberg, who has recently completed some important investigations in the Sahara Desert, was recently in London. Lieutenant Moberg, who had already made several adventurous journeys in Northern and Central Africa, was asked about a couple of years ago to undertake a tour through tho Sahara, principally on behalf of the Riks Museum, Stockholm, and the Ethnographical Museum of tho Norwegian Universities. He completed this successfully only a few weeks ago. In the course of 16 months ho traversed from Tunisia to Nigeria, thence on to the Red Sea, a total distance of about 10,000 miles on camel or horseback, not taking into account the distance travelled by rail. Lieutenant Moberg, in tho course of j an interview, said he commenced his ' journey from South Tunisia in January, 1925. Passing lightly over his adventures in the early stages into the desert, and amusing to relate some of the experiences that befel him later, ho spoke in particular of four months that he spent among the Touaregs, the natives of the Hoggar region. At tho outset ho had some trouble, but managed very soon to get on excellent terms with these semibandits who have something approximating to a feudal organisation. The explorer carried no rifle, satisfying himself with a revolver. He lived in a skin tent throughout his stay in the Hoggar, and so familiarised did the natives become with their guest that they seemed to be genuinely sorry when the time came for his departure. He received a good deal of help from them in his collection of arms and other curios. Unusual Route Traversed. On quitting the Hoggar territory Lieu--1 tenant Moberg, instead of taking the usual route southwards, undertook what he believes to bo a hitherto untrodden way—by Europeans, that is—in a westerly direction; consequently, tho stage of his travels on to Agades, in the south of the Sahara, was of a particularly daring character, but he reached Zinder, in French territory in safety. From Zinder he went on to Kano, and he spoke enthusiastically of his hospitable reception during his stay in Nigeria, an outstanding recollection being an entertainment by the officers of the Second Battalion of the Nigerian Regiment. From Kano a return was made to Zinder; thence the explorer struck eastward to the north side of Lake Chad. An incident in this stage of the journey was that the party was attacked by bandits armed with bows and arrows. An arrow struck one of his servants in the left arm, but Lieutenant Moberg himself was unhurt. It had been his intention to return into the desert from the north of Lake Chad by an easterly route, but owing to the disturbed state of this region and the impossibility of obtaining camels he had to abandon this scheme and go on to Egypt. lie reached Port Sudan on May 26 this year. Since going to London Lieutenant Moberg had an opportunity of meeting the director of the Riks Museum, Stockholm, who had been attending tho conferences held in England for the purpose of founding an International Bureau for the study of African languages. The Riks Museum, as well as the Ethnographical Museum of the Norwegian Universities, will be among the institutions enriched by the collection of native curios brought back by the explore?. These objects include potteries and a great variety of swords, knives, assegais, bows and arrows and other native arms. . The accumulating difficulty of transporting these relics will be understood when it is stated that they fill about 60 boxes and • packages. Collection of Animals. A still more difficult task undertaken by Lieutenant Moberg was that of capturing and endeavouring to preserve and transport animals of various kinds. At one time he had succeeded in getting together 40, but unfortunately these had dwindled down to 10 by the time that the journey ended. These were sent to Cairo for shipment to Stockholm, for the zoo. Apart fi'om these collections the explorer, as part of his mission, made an intimate study of native modes of life and customs, and, as a result of the data that he acquired, particularly during his prolonged stay among the natives of the Hoggar territory, hq, will be in a position to make some valuable contributions towards this-field of knowledge.